Stephen Hyde (aka DJ_Steve) is a name that every Dell Streak owner should know. He's the guy behind the unofficial Froyo (Android 2.2) ROM that many of us have been enjoying on our devices; without him, we'd all be running Eclair (Android 2.1) at best, Donut (Android 1.6) at worst, and biding our time until Dell rolled out an update.

With the new Froyo V1 ROM, Stephen brings the Streak to where it should have been upon release. And he's done so at an alarming pace. In a little over a week, he's released three updates to the build, which is now out of beta.

Stephen was kind enough to offer me a quick Q&A session last week, so I emailed him a list of questions that I thought would be of interest to Streak Smart readers. Check out his answers below.

How long have you been developing ROMs?

I've been playing with Android porting since version 0.9 and have worked on porting to the HTC TyTN II and HTC Polaris (Touch Cruise). I also still work slightly on the NITDroid project to port Android to the Nokia N800, N810, and N900.

How many hours have you spent on the Froyo ROM for the Streak so far?

Far too many! Probably a good 100+ hours to get it to the v3 beta release. I also do this around my main job, which strangely has nothing at at all to do with computers or mobile devices. I just have a lot of free time around it to work on things.

Why did you take it upon yourself to develop it?

I got tired of trying to fix issues in Dell's 1.6 and 2.1 builds, so I decided to just go all out and jump up to 2.2 myself. I think I've done a better job than Dell will do if/when they actually release the OS that I believe the Streak should have started life using.

What has been the most challenging aspect of the work so far?

Actually getting the device to boot properly without random errors. Getting sound and some other items working took some extra time too.

You've been releasing new builds at a rapid pace. Are you constantly thinking of ways to improve them (i.e., are you already thinking of the next version immediately after you release a build)?

That's the unfortunate thing about me. I'm almost never happy with something. Performance and battery life were my primary targets for the first few releases. When those were better, I moved on to trying to sort out the niggling issues with Android Market, etc. I'm satisfied enough that there are no serious bugs in V1 now, but I don't know if that means the pace of updates will slow down.

What are your future plans for the Froyo ROM?

My main target hopefully is to possibly keep two ROMs going: one stock vanilla (dev of V1) and a CyanogenMod version that will likely be built up from scratch. That is going to take time due to the way Dell has used a lot of non-standard layouts and interfaces on Streak.

Other than those layouts and interfaces, is there anything unique about developing for the Streak versus developing for other Android devices?

The Streak is not a very popular device, so the community is fairly small compared to the likes of HTC and Nokia Internet Tablet devices. The feeling of community you get from Streak users feels a lot closer. People seem more passionate about the Streak and want to make it perform as best as it can.

What do you need from the community to help you take the ROM where you want it to go?

Any help from other Android devs is always appreciated as it lessens my workload somewhat. Donations are always welcome; I am looking to get some other devices to examine the code, etc. and test items on the Streak. Bug reports are, of course, a needed requirement of any ROM.

Has Dell been in touch with you about this ROM?

I have had some contact with Dell regarding the Streak but nothing directly aimed at the ROM itself.

Is the Streak your primary phone?

No, the Nokia N900 is my primary device. My Streak is on a data-only contract with O2 due to its size and the expense.

About the Author

Jenn K. Lee is the founder of Pocketables. She loves gadgets the way most women love shoes and purses. The pieces in her tech wardrobe that go with everything are currently the Samsung Galaxy Note II, Sony Tablet P, and Nexus 7, but there are still a couple of vintage UMPCs/MIDs in the back of her closet.

does any one know how to logout from android market and re login with different account????

Dave

I am loving 2.2, I would like to adjust the screen resolution to a larger size, much like the Stock version. I see a lot of posts about adjusting the LCD Density in the build.prop, What is the easiest way to adjust the screen? Has anyone seen any walk through that may help?
And Cheers to DJ_Steve, this guy is the King!

wasabe

Any plans of porting windows 7 on streak? What am i thinking…

OWTM

You should go back to the menu then applications , then manage applications and search for Google Apps, touch it and select clear data.
When you jump back to Market you will be promped for user and password again.
This it!

Cheers.

OWTM

You should edit your build.prop simply adding this line

ro.sf.lcd_density=xxx

where xxx could be 120,140,160 (proper value I don’t know)
If I’m not wrong there was an application on XDA to change this value in a safer manner, but I don’t know if this works on Streak…(I don’t own one yet)

Cheers

oduck

Can you go from 2.2 beta3 to 2.2 V1 without wiping your device? Or is there some manual way to fix the market issues? I’d like to fix the market issues with beta3 but I’d rather not wipe my device again just yet.

Dave

Thanks,
I used root explorer and was able to edit the build.prop and after a reboot … boom! resolution updated. IMO 140 is slightly too small, 200 is too large, 160 – 180 is my sweet spot.

Joel

I don’t believe this is true. I think that if your Android device is already syncing a Gmail account, your market access is tied to that account. I’ve cleared my data for Market twice recently due to Steve’s fix for the Market problems and have had to re-acknowledge the EULA for the Market, but was never offered a chance to login with any ID, it just defaulted to my Gmail/Android ID.

I think you’d need to delete any sync with Gmail/Google and then clear the Market, but I’ve not tested this.

Hope this helps (but doubt it will really) :(

Stuck to Atnt becasue they gave me a good deal

Ha! .. I wouldn’t want WinDoze on my streak! ..

Jason

You can try to clear just the /data/ partition after flashing the rom.

http://profile.typepad.com/pocketables Jenn K. Lee

I agree that having to start from scratch can be a pain, but Titanium Backup makes it really easy to batch-restore all your apps and system data. You’d only have to re-do your home screens, which isn’t too bad.

Trevor

Hello Jenn and all.
I recently had to purchase a brand new Streak because Dell has no way to replace shattered Gorilla Glass. With the pain and $uffering Dell has caused me with absolutly no Sorries whatsoever, I am wanting to go ahead and mod my new Streak to this Froyo.
Not needing an easy way, just a bit of direction to go from 1.6 to this 2.2. I have root and have looked at all the sections on this site. Nothing about 1.6 to 2.2, just the 2.1 to 2.2.
If anyone out there has the time, could you let me know where I might go to get going on my new Streak.
Also, the new Streak seams to restart three to four times a day. Is this an issue related to 1.6 and I should get a replacement device from Dell first or once I get this version of 2.2 on the Streak, will the restarts stop?
I am new but not a newbie to Android.
Thank you for any help that anyone could toss my way.
Sincerely,
Trevor.

http://profile.typepad.com/pocketables Jenn K. Lee

The current path to get this ROM on your Streak is 1.6 -> 2.1 -> 2.2. There’s no method to bypass 2.1 and just go straight from 1.6 to 2.2 yet.

oduck

Actually, isn’t the path in the US:

ATT 1.6 -> O2 1.6 -> O2 2.1 -> DJ Steve 2.2

That’s the path I took, and it seemed to be what the instructions called for.

In any case, if you’re coming from 1.6 like me, it will be WELL worth the effort. The difference is dramatic in every way. By comparison, the official Dell 1.6 ROM seems buggy and flaky, whereas this 2.2 “beta” (I have v3) feels rock solid… in three days I’ve had none of the problems I used to struggle with on 1.6… unresponsive buttons, wonky phone answering (the sensor issue is still there, but since it pops up so much faster and the buttons are more responsive, it doesn’t cause the same problem). Under 1.6 the Streak would bog down at random times for no obvious reason. Haven’t seen anything like that under 2.2.

Before I upgraded to 2.2, I worried about whether I could install the Dell official Froyo when it comes out. Ha! Now that I have DJ Steve’s excellent build, it is difficult for me to imagine even wanting Dell’s official offering. The things Dell did with the UI were OK as band-aids on 1.6, but 2.2 has a better UI all around.

ThinkerT

I just went from beta 3 (0.3) to V1 and it didn’t wipe any of my data. I was also reported in the thread that going from beta 2 to beta 3 didn’t wipe any data either. So you might be ok. Taking precautions like those suggested couldn’t hurt, though.

Trevor

Ok. Thank you Jenn and Oduck.
This helps as that is what I was wondering about.
I will first follow the instructiions to go to O2 1.6,O2 2.1 then the awesome DJS 2.2
Anything you think would help on readings outside this forum?
You all are the best. Thank you.
Trevor.

ThinkerT

There’s a great guide here that walks step-by-step through starting with ATT 1.6 all the way to 2.2 (and even back, if needed):

Is the streak camera any better in 2.2? In 1.6 most photos cume out blurry, it seems the shutter speed is slow.

BL

I’m picking up the Streak locally this Sunday leaving my Iphone 3GS behind and will immediately add the 2.2 beta. Looking forward to it and tweaking.

http://profile.typepad.com/bryanstinski Bryan Stinski

I never messed with 1.6. the first thing i did with my streak when i unboxed it was load the O2 2.1 on it. and the camera there was awesome. pictures and videos came out really clear. i haven’t tested it on 2.2 yet, but from what i’ve heard there have been some complaints of the way the video records… i’m not sure if this has been corrected yet, because i’m running v.2, and not the v1… but from what i’ve seen the camera looks good

Dayne

+1

I called Best Buy yesterday to see if i could get them to give me the Streak early but they weren’t biting. LOL

Joel

Well I went straight from US 1.6 to O2 2.1 w/o using O2 1.6 so I don’t think you need the intermediate O2/1.6 upgrade.

YMMV of course, do whatever it takes to get to 2.1 then the 2.2 flash is cake! (well maybe not cake – but not bad)

-JS

Trevor

Thank you ThinkerT.
I will give this guide a try and report back how it all goes.
I think that DJS was correct when he stated or observed that us Streak owners a pretty close knit group. THe Streak is what I was looking for in a phone and the Streak group is exactly what I have been looking for in a group.
THanks again to everyone.
Sincerely,
Trevor.

Seth

Awesome idea Jenn to interview Stephen. Great questions and I loved hearing his responses. You are exactly correct, he has brought new life to the Streak that should of been since launch.

http://profile.typepad.com/kincaidk Kincaidk

Great Q&A session. Thanks!

Trevor

Just a quick update on my 2.2 update trip.
Had a bit of a problem,however, when I was trying to repair and did a factory reset, 2.2 came up and I am with Froyo now.
Thanks to everyone for the help.
I am so thankful that all this is available to us by great people like Jenn and Stephen.
Again. THanks to all.
Sincerely,
Trevor.

Trevor

Well, I am still having the streak shutting down and restarting over ten times a day. I am going to put it back to stock and get a new replacment. Not sure what is happening but I can be pretty sure it is hardware relates since this same thing was happening when I was a 1.6. Unless anyone has any ideas.
Thanks again to everyone. I am sad and will miss 2.2 until Dell can send me a new replacement.
Sincerely,
Trevor.

Harchintan

You will need to delete your google account and log in again by another one

Omar F Rodriguez Morales

i tried nitdroid on my nokia n800, but it lack of sound and mounting external sd card, and it’s donut, android 1.6 i was wondering if you got any froyo image or rom to try on my nokia n800, i saw some videos on youtube, people showing froyo running on the n800 but they does not respond at all